Shoe cleaning tool



Jan. 19, 1937. L. w. BARNES SHOE CLEANING TOOL Filed Nov. 22, 1935 Z721@nf07-' v [Zoyd AU." MA 0. @May Patented Jan. 19, 1937 UNITED ST'lOFFICE SHOE CLEANING TOOL Application November 22, 1935, Serial No.51,033

1 Claim.

My present invention relates to improvements in a shoe cleaning tool andhas special reference to the provision of such a tool for cleaning,applying polish to, and polishing the upper extending surfaces of thesoles of shoes and the edges of the soles of shoes.

At present, so far as I am aware, any article which is sharp enough toenter the angle occurring where the vamp or upper joins the sole isemployed for displacing mud or other foreign matter when the same lodgesin said angle, and the applying of polish at these parts and thepolishing thereof is secured, so far as it is secured at all, by anendeavor to force the bristles of the brush into and to the bottom ofthe gradually narrowing space at the parts indicated.

The use of a sharp instrument or bluntly pointed instrument hardlyever'suflices for completely removing the soilure or foreign matter fromthis portion of the shoe and reliance upon the bristles of a dauber orpolishing brush for inserting polish and polishing the shoe within theangle results in at least a non-uniformity of the excellence of the workand sometimes the skipping of considerable areas where both cleaning andpolishing are not accomplished.

As will hereafter be seen, I have provided an exceedingly simple toolfor accomplishing the special purpose heretofore referred to by means ofwhich the cleaning, applying polish to, and polishing of the tops andsides of the soles of shoes may be much more quickly, uniformly, andsatisfactorily accomplished.

I attain the foregoing objects by means of the Structure illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a schematic illustrationof my tool in position for working upon the top edge of the sole of ashoe.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the tool shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental detail section on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmental detail section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental detail section on line 5--5 of Fig. 1:

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout therespective views.

The tool can be conveniently and economically formed from a sheet ofmetal, or any other suitable material, shaped to provide a body or blade5 having a flange 6 extending at right angles or substantially at rightangles with one longitudinal edge of the body portion. A reduced widthof the metal from which the body is formed, including the extendingflange, may conveniently be extended from one corner of the body portionto provide a handle 6a. The handle is preferably bent from the bodyportion 5 both laterally with respect to the body and also out of theplane thereof, so as to provide space between the shoe and the handlewhile the blade is being applied to the edge and top of the sole.

At the corner on the same side of the blade from which the handleextends, but opposite to the corner from which the handle extends, aslit or cut 1 separates a portion of the flange 6 from the blade 5 and aportion of the separated blade is curved at 8 from the general plane ofthe blade so that the blade may be more readily applied to the curve ofthe edge of the'sole while the flange is maintained in contact with thetop surface of the outwardly extending portion of the sole. This featureof the structure permits the flange 6 to be extended over a greaterwidth of the sole, than the width of the flange would otherwise permit,while the blade 5 is in contact with the adjacent right angled edgeportion of the sole. The handiness of my tool arises from the fact thatthe flange prevents the blade from running off the edge of the sole, andwhen the flange is doing the work the blade supplements able way,material 9, such as felt, which will be found advantageous in removingsoilure, in applying polish and also in polishing.

It will be obvious from the above description, taken in connection withthe drawing, that I have provided a very simple little tool with whichthe soles of shoes may be quickly and dependably dressed.

Having described my invention What I claim is new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

A tool for cleaning and dressing the tops and edges of the soles ofshoes comprising a blade portion curved from its general plane at oneend. a right angled flange extending longitudinally from a side edge ofsaid blade portion, a portion of said flange opposite the curved portionof said blade being detached therefrom.

LLOYD W. BARNES.

